ment made by him, which are the glory of the Bible and the hope of fallen man?

We have now in conclusion, to notice (4.) fourthly, the right methods of examining the Scriptures, and the motives which should lead us to this enquiry. And here we may notice in general; that the methods we have examined, will serve by contrast to point out the true way of proceeding. Treating the Bible as other books; looking for its true meaning, not in this or that place, but in all places: shewing no partiality to this or that; but taking Christianity as the perfect revelation of God, and comparing spiritual things with spiritual,-Scripture with Scripture, seeing therein-not what we should prefer, but what God has said. Nor will plain men, find more difficulty here, than in any other important enquiry; you have the whole Scriptures in your hand, turn over the pages and examine for yourselves: it is only when you come to refine and rationalise, that you will become perplexed as to the essential doctrines of salvation,-forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.

Many of the so-called orthodox, are misled by means of formal systems adopted amongst them: by the peculiar meaning they first attach to words, and then find the doctrines, by finding the words: also by adopting passages in a secondary meaning; or apart from their connexion. Then again, creeds and catechisms are often adopted, as the ultimate boundary of truth; hence some search the Scriptures, not to see whether these things are so, but to prove that they are so. These forms of doctrine, may be useful to direct enquiry, out they are pernicious, when they set enquiry aside. Some also, who naturally opposé reason and philosophy, feel insulted by a text that is too liberal: and will occasionally shew their regard for "the whole counsel of God," by leaving his house, as soon as the text is mentioned: and why?-because they know full well, that this text, contains none of their whole counsel, but some wholesome advice for less perfect believers. This however is a case of extreme prejudice; and yet that spirit is but beginning to grow, which is willing to be taught; and to hear or read what has not before occurred to the mind men we hope are becoming less bound to forms, to creeds, and worn out words; and tending more to the enlarged spirit and living truth of the gospel: which will not be cramped to the utterance of any invented orthodoxy; but demands to be spoken in the unfettered language of heaven, to the universal soul of man.

The true spirit of enquiry then, is evidently not to decide on the answer beforehand; nor with a measuring line of our reason falsely so called, to diminish and rationalise the answer; but with a docile spirit, and an earnest enquiry, approaching this oracle of wisdom, with ears attent to catch the divine voice amidst the babel-tongues of prejudice which disturb us from within, or from without.

The best canon of criticism, so far as the cultivation of our senses, to appreciate Bible utterances, the best canon of criticism is prayer: not so much for throwing light on every difficulty, as for attuning our souls to perceive the grand truths of the Bible: religious truth, is best apprehended, through religious dispositions.

The next canon of criticism, or guide in enquiry; is a settled reverence for the Scriptures themselves: regarding them as the word of God; and

dealing with their statements with a chastened awe of the author who thus condescends to instruct a benighted world.

Another direction for this successful enquiry,―is living up to the truth we have already attained. Then shall ye know the doctrine if ye are willing-desirous to do the commandment. In religion as in all learning, they are best prepared for the second lesson, who have PRACTISED the first. But if to this first measure of light, we shut our eyes, they become sealed: if the gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded; who cannot see truth through the atmosphere of deceitful lusts: who in listening to other allurements, have forgotten how to listen to the God of the Bible. We must seek therefore to have put away from us all blinding influence of impiety and ungodliness; and with child-like simplicity, approach the Father of lights, through a prayerful and humble study of his word.

Humility is an open door, in at which CHRIST who is THE TRUTH, will enter:-thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes;-spiritual character, is the avenue, to further spiritual discernment, for to him that hath (gained usury)—to him shall be given still more, and he shall have abundance.

Nor have we far to seek, for motives to engage in this enquiry: it is the word of God: a long letter from our Father, full of mercy, and intended for our daily guide. It is a revelation in the Bible, not in our thoughts, and is therefore to be apprehended only by studying the Bible. How differently those truths affect us, which we hear from others, to those which we find and experience for ourselves! Knowledge obtained by ease and at second-hand, leaves a slight impression and soon vanishes; whilst that at which we have laboured, becomes incorporated into our souls. And thus the word of God, may become to us, the 66 ENGRAFTED word."

And notice lastly, it is the word of our salvation; it is our code of laws, and our charter of privileges; it is the constitution, according to which God will administer the affairs of this world.

It is the best gift of God to man; the only possession here suited to our nature; other blessings appeal to our senses, or are at most commodities of the present life: this, is the feast of the soul: it is the treasure house of hopes and promises; it is our chest of gold, and casket of jewels: it is our directory to a treasure in heaven: it is our entrance to life eternal; it is the mine wherein God has heaped together all the resources of his bounty, and therefore we are to search the Scriptures, to dig as for hid treasure, hid that it may be searched for and found, and that in finding it, we may be enriched for ever.

II.

HUMAN AUTHORITY AND INVENTION versus CONSCIENCE AND THE BIBLE.

The Scriptures are the only standard of Christian faith and practice: every one is at liberty to examine them; but no one is at liberty to decline this examination: and though we may receive the help of others, we may not rest on their authority, (which is man-worship ;) nor receive as religion, what is not in the Scriptures, (which is willworship.)

PRELACY BASED ON FORGERY.

"My own conviction is, that every kind of pious fraud is as much at variance, ultimately, with sound policy, as it is with Christian principle."—ARCHBISHOP WHATELY.

FOR three long centuries have the claims of prelacy to be deemed an Apostolical institution been matter of unintermitted controversy, and countless names, many of them the most illustrious on the rolls of fame have been ranged on opposite sides of the question. It has seemed as though an issue were to be for ever despaired of. Doubtless not a little of true learning, candour, and charity have been applied to the solution of the problem, but far more of passion, prejudice, selfishness, and pride, have obscured its true merits. Never have there been wanting besides a few sober and truthful advocates, crowds of sycophant writers in behalf of a system which has ample preferment to bestow, and has never shewn a disinclination to raise to the disputed throne, the janissary who has defended it. How many more have clutched the mitre as zealous upholders of the three orders of the clergy, than as able defenders of the three persons in the Godhead.

In spite however of these great odds in its favour, the hierarchical party has never been able to silence the opposition. Not only on the inspired page, where but for the aid of a patristical lens, neither jot nor tittle of prelacy could ever have been espied by prejudice herself, have the recusants shielded from destructive glosses, those unmistakeable texts which prove that 'bishops' and 'presbyters' were originally but two different names of one and the same office, but also in the earliest

*

"That the name of Episcopoi, or bishops, was altogether synonymous with presbyters, is clearly evident from those passages of Scripture, where both appellations are used interchangeably. (Acts xx. comp. v. 17, with v. 28; Ep. to Titus c. i. v. 5, with v. 7. 1 Pet. c. v. v. 1, with v. 2.)—and from those where the office of deacon is named immediately after that of bishop, so that between these two Church offices, there could

Christian antiquity, where the prelatists have always breathed more freely, has our position been sturdily maintained. Again and again has the summons to us to surrender at least this latter field of argument, been laughed to scorn. And now, less than ever, does there seem to be a prospect of reducing the malcontents to submission. This at least is not the time to quit our ground now that, thanks to the greed of the good monks of Nitria, the munificence of the nation, the enterprise of Archdeacon Tattam, and the learned and honest labours of Mr. Cureton, we can spitefully mark how bravely, from the red throat of that masterful Syrian mortar, "leaps the live thunder," which of the only hostile. fortress that soiled the sod of freedom, the unsightly Ignatian Acropolis, with its eighteen towers, on whose skilful embattlement such engineers as an Usher and a Pearson, with a host of subordinates only inferior to their chiefs, lavished the choicest stores of their art, leaves but one tottering turret as an eye-sore in the scene. To speak more plainly, out of this formidable number of passages extant in the hitherto pretty extennot still be a third intervening one. (Ep. to Philip i. 1; 1 Tim. iii. 1, 8.) Neander's Church History.—(Vol. i. p. 251.) Clarke's Library Translation. Our profound Hellenists, such as the Editor of Eschylus (the Bishop of London) ought to have told us poor outsiders long ago, that the term presbutEROS a comparative adjective, hardly squares with the "good, better, best" theory, till the other two members of the same series shall be fairly set upon their feet. We must have the three legs of the Tripod, or the Pythian will make Delphi and all Greece ring with laughter, instead of teeming with gifts. But in truth, in the temple of the Lord there is no Tripod at all. A living body can stand on two legs, whilst a thing requires at least three. Bishop Hinds (History of the Rise and Early Progress of Christianity, pp. 144-148.) kindly helps us to the strictly correlative N. T. term NeotEROS,-(Acts v. 6.) which he proves to have been synonymous with the term Deacon, of later times, (see the two terms, presbuteroi and Neoteroi, side by side, 1 Pet. v. 1-5.) though in apostolic times the substantive Diaconos, or 66 servant," was applied to both the two orders, the members of which were thus respectively the SeniOR and JuniOR, or UppER and LowER Servants of the Church. Now we contemplate an appeal to the Amphyctionic Council, in case it should be denied that two definite comparatives, of opposite attributes, applied to the same class of subjects are exhaustive of that class: i.e, denote its numerical complements. Where then are the prelates to find room? They would hardly like to squeeze in between the Seniores and Juniores; besides, that it would be "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle," than to get in that way. Still less we presume would they choose to be below them. Hence, though the APOSTLES were content with the titles Presbuteros (1 Pet. v. 1. 2 John i. 1. 3 John i.) and Diaconos (Acts vi. 4. 2 Cor. iv. 1.) there is no help for it, but to put their assumed successors amongst the " Lords over God's heritage," or-nowhere.

• The reference, as will immediately be seen, is to a recent literary discovery of paramount interest and importance. The advocates of prelacy have always appealed to the writings of the Apostolic Father Ignatius, as proving that the division of the clergy into three orders must have been instituted by the Apostles themselves, inasmuch as the interval between the death of St. John and that of Ignatius, (about ten years,) is too short to render the introduction of so considerable a change, as the establishment of a new office in the Church (viz. that of prelates) conceivable. This argument their opponents met by alleging that the writings of Ignatius had been so interpolated that no dependence could be placed upon the passages cited, which they refused to admit had ever proceeded from his pen. This question has been lately set at rest by the production of new and quite decisive evidence. An extremely ancient Syriac translation of the Epistles of Ignatius has been brought to light. It was obtained by Archdeacon Tattam, from the Monastery of Nitria, in Egypt, and has been published by Mr. Cureton, a clergyman of the Church of England, and chaplain to the Queen. This version omits the suspected passages, (with the single exception referred to below,) and thus proves them to be forgeries.

sively received recension of the epistles of Ignatius, (who was martyred in A.D. 107,) in which the three orders of the clergy are expressly enumerated, or at least bishops spoken of as distinct from Presbyters, seventeen refuse to look honestly in the face any of the several copies of the extremely ancient Syriac Version, lately brought from the Valley of the Ascetics, in Egypt, and now safely lodged in the library of the British Museum.

But one out of the eighteen passages remains,

"Like the last rose of summer all blooming alone."

We deem it quite a providence that it is left standing, albeit "all alone in its glory." The exception is a happy one.

Such a passage in this Syriac recension whose most providential discovery (as Mr. Cureton proves in the masterly Introduction to his Corpus Ignatianum,) renders hopeless any further defence of more than three epistles, by Ignatius, viz.: those to the Ephesians, to the Romans, and to Polycarp, whilst it also confines the rightful bounds even of these, to very narrow compass, silences for ever the strange insinuation (a straw at which drowning men have caught,) that the ancient Oriental Translator, in a spirit we presume of low dissenting spleen against prelates, burked these golden testimonies of the holy martyr.

Mr. Cureton quietly puts the painful matter in its true light. The poor Syriac Translator is in truth no Congregational Guy Fawkes, laying in that obscure age his artful trains to blow up in this the House of Con

vocation.

To use a somewhat homely but trenchant phrase, "the boot is on the other leg."

He is not a conspirator, but a very useful member of the detective police. Though not one of the gang, and doubtless tied to no blabbing Fulvia, he will make a good Curius.

The upshot is, that the Prelatical Cataline is fairly unearthed.

That HIERARCHIAL PLOT which Dailleé, Salmasius and others, two centuries ago tried to bring home to the culprits, but (as often happens) through the cunning of the accused, and Time's transient weakness of memory, failed as many thought to fasten on the offenders, is now matter of noontide FACT; and is scored on the marbles of HISTORY, in marks deep and legible as the brand on the forehead of Cain. Murder will out. The voice of this twice slain martyr hath not cried, How long?" from under the altar in vain. The white robe hath been given him, and he stands once more amongst the shouting children of the bride-chamber, 66 pure from the blood of all men.” Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth." This fresh witness of grave aspect, shaming by his snowy hairs, and few but weighty words, the eager and frothy babblings of his beardless gainsayers, cannot have been tampered with; for he gives evidence for and against both sides. The forgers then are caught and cast. But what teeming thoughts rush unbidden into the mind, as we reflect upon this painful case. Alas! what could have moved these very ancient Christians thus to forge pinchbeck proofs of episcopacy, when they must have had so many golden testimonies staring them in the face, in the now lost but then extant writings of men who were conversant with the